Show of HandsShow of Hands

Show Of Hands January 8th, 2013 12:00am

Federal regulators have proposed new rules that would require car makers to add artificial sound to hybrid and electric vehicles to make them more audible to pedestrians. Approve?

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01/15/13 5:46 pm

People have eyes. Look both ways. Goes the same for the driver. People still get hit with cars even with sound. In traffic today, this guy just casually walked out in front of me. He stared at me as I had to stop in traffic, so... these people aren't stupid.

hexin Wisconsin
01/15/13 5:45 pm

You're right, forgot about them.

01/14/13 8:02 pm

It depends on the area. There are kids with special needs in and around my neighborhood. Everyone in the area has agreed not to get a hybrid for that reason, however this may not be the case I other places.

01/14/13 9:54 am

Most people walk around with headphones jammed in their ears while texting on their cellphones anyway.

01/14/13 7:19 am

This is stupid know your surroundings. Don't walk in the middle of the road. This is easy

2ndafe Flat lands of Ohio
01/13/13 9:25 pm

I'm totally against the government, at any level, entering into this area of "automobile safety"...unless they use this ( as the sound.

sarah1911 Poolesville MD
01/12/13 8:41 pm

I would enjoy the peace of quiet cars but yes some sort of audible attention getter needs to exist so people with visual impairment and a cane instead of a service animal know that a vehicle is approaching.

susanr Colorado
01/12/13 4:38 pm

Oops, I didn't mean hearing impaired (although it would probably help them, too, if they weren't actually deaf); I meant sight impaired. Macular degeneration, retinal detachment, stuff like that.

susanr Colorado
01/12/13 12:45 pm

It only now occurred to me - there's a *reason* why trains blow a whistle when they cross roads. You can see a train coming. The whistle is an extra safety measure that apparently is still considered to be needed.

susanr Colorado
01/12/13 12:40 pm

I have, but I've also heard "Stop, look and *listen.*" I'm not so much concerned for the average person, rather, the blind & hearing impaired. And to some extent, children.

01/12/13 11:25 am

Blind people and children folks. This would save lives.

themiz Illinois
01/12/13 10:21 am

has anybody heard of "look both ways"? just a helpful suggestion

01/12/13 7:45 am

You are proposing another bloated government bureaucracy to oversee the legislation of adding noise to quiet cars and the hand out of funds to retrofit your neighbors Prius because " you almost walked into it". Around here we just watch where we walking without Gov't help.

01/12/13 7:38 am

Well that is liberal thinking for you. Hybrids helping to solve the mythical global warming problem but they create another crisis for big government to solve. A bunch of ninnies relying on a nanny state of government.

01/11/13 3:10 pm

Yes yes yes!! Even just this morning I almost walked into my neighbor pulling out of his driveway because I didn't hear his Prius start! Our physics teacher had a guy being in a Volt to show our class and he was bragging about how quiet it is; I told him that was horrible and he just shrugged...

01/10/13 10:45 pm

You have to think about those pedestrians who depend on sound to get around.

danijanice ME and VA
01/10/13 10:40 pm

Not If the person has low vision they tend to have better hearing and are going to be the ones helped.

danijanice ME and VA
01/10/13 10:35 pm

Yes please someone with vision issues and poor depth perception I often think parked cars may be moving or the other way around. So I would love to have this so it saves me some hassle and maybe even my life.

cornybread The Large Malus Fruit
01/10/13 7:40 pm

I say both eyes and ears are better than just one or the other. therefore cars should be audible AND people should look out or them. it's like having a backup plan. sounds like a good idea to me.

01/10/13 6:43 pm

People should pay attention to their surroundings!

bleumana pdx
01/10/13 12:03 pm

Well the regulation that gave us seat belts was a good idea. And the sound of a Harley lets you know they're coming before you see the bike. So I'm thinking this sort of thing would be just fine.

01/10/13 11:28 am

I have a lot of friends who are blind and they hate the electric cars because they can't hear them or see them so they don't know they're there. I know a few who have been seriously injured by stepping out in front of one.

chile safer than congress
01/10/13 5:40 am

Then you must accept the risk of your choice, including potential loss of life from impairing your own hearing.

cornybread The Large Malus Fruit
01/10/13 1:09 am

it won't. That's what I keep saying. they should have just done it without saying anything and waited to see just how many people actually noticed or cared. the fact that we're being asked whether or not it's a good idea is what's making everyone act up over it.

01/10/13 12:14 am

" to promote the general welfare " again, I think this is a dumb idea but if it can be construed as a safety issue, it's solution can be interpreted as in the governments interest.

LibertyLover Pokemon 201461036800
01/09/13 11:48 pm

I re-read the question and realized that its not congress. If someone can show me in the constitution where unelected federal "regulators" are allowed to write regulations that are enforced as laws, then I will consider the question.

LibertyLover Pokemon 201461036800
01/09/13 11:45 pm

If someone can show me where in the constitution the congress has the authority to force a private car company to do anything, then I will consider the question. Until that point it is a no based on the unconstitutional nature of the issue.

01/09/13 11:11 pm

Noise pollution!! Too much time to think of idiotic new laws and regulations. Fire about half of the federal regulators and stop paying federal legislators. Then both groups would actually have to work for a living and would not have so much time to dream up stupid laws and regulations.

01/09/13 10:42 pm

Aw shit man, that's what those dogs are for. Dog be all like "Nigga, get yo ass outta the road."

Seriously, the Prius is HANDS DOWN the best car for drive-by shootings on account of how quiet they drive.

01/09/13 10:35 pm

Are there even pedestrians without ear buds? If I ever have to walk somewhere I rock out the whole time. Don't even hear regular cars.

SouthernG Man Cave
01/09/13 9:38 pm

Solve air pollution, generate noise pollution.....nice

01/09/13 9:27 pm

I'll bet Darwin wasn't run over by a car, though.

01/09/13 9:24 pm

Can you use the phrase "nanny state" in a sentence? I am just so sick of the feds sticking their noses into everything.

01/09/13 8:27 pm

Deaf people. Don't overlook the necessity of noise for them.

Lulzy New Jersey
01/09/13 7:35 pm

SA (Situational Awareness)

Gov't has no place requiring more noise. Two types of people get hit by cars: idiots and unlucky ones. The unlucky ones use SA, but they get hit due to the driver's foolishness. The idiots get hit because they position themselves for failure.

01/09/13 7:07 pm

Hold on, let me ask the government what I think. They know best.....

01/09/13 7:04 pm

Yes but only if it is a really annoying sound.

geoag02 Dallas, TX
01/09/13 6:35 pm

I have had all of those experiences also, but I know that I am extra quiet so I pay attention pedestrians that are near the road that I am about to drive on and assume that everyone is going to walk in front of me without looking. I also have a backup camera.

susanr Colorado
01/09/13 6:26 pm

No, because they can usually *see.*

jenniferbuh IL
01/09/13 5:33 pm

Yeah, one time I was walking down the street and nearly got run over by one of those cars because it snuck up on me.

pinkyusuck The Carribean. I wish.
01/09/13 5:29 pm

No. They're quiet, but not that quiet. If you're paying attention, you'll be fine. If you're not paying attention...well...that's consequences.

JaingN10 Death Star
01/09/13 5:20 pm

Should we also put strobe lights on top if cars so deaf people can more easily identify them

01/09/13 5:18 pm

Obviously, 57% of SoH users have no blind friends (despite being ridiculously short-sighted themselves).

01/09/13 4:54 pm

Also, I'm fairly certain the ShamWow song isn't considered rock and roll...

RunN2Poles The Room of Requirement
01/09/13 3:36 pm

The modifications need to be made. Blind pedestrians rely on the sound of moving traffic to orient themselves and to know when it is safe to cross the street. The electric cars put them at a disadvantage because they are so quiet.

01/09/13 2:02 pm

I've got a prescription for more cowbell...

susanr Colorado
01/09/13 12:26 pm

Evolution doesn't say anything about "should." It just says that the individuals who survived were more adapted to the current environmental conditions and more likely to live long enough to pass on their genes.